working and lower class

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

basophilic

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
404
Reaction score
83
Are working and lower classes interchangeable or are they distinct? TPR and Khan videos use them somewhat interchangeably while Googling it says otherwise.
I thought working class would be ANYONE (upper, middle, or lower) that works full time (40 or more hrs per week) while lower class is anyone at or below poverty line. So in a traditional pyramid it would only be upper, middle, and lower.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Working class is usually used in reference to workers who work blue-collar jobs. Thus, a large part of "working class" overlaps with lower class.
 
They are sometimes used synonymously. If you see them used as two different things in the same passage, assume that "working class" has SES just above "lower class," but both would have lower SES than upper and middle class. I've never liked the use of "working class" because there are many blue-collar workers in my family that make middle to upper-middle class salaries.
 
Top